Mary Roberts Rinehart was an American writer, often called the American Agatha Christie. Rinehart published her first mystery novel The Circular Staircase in 1908, which introduced the "had I but known" narrative style. Rinehart is also considered the source of "the butler did it" plot device in her novel The Door (1930), although the exact phrase does not appear in her work. She also worked to tell the stories and experiences of front line soldiers during World War I, one of the first women to travel to the Belgian front lines.
Skippy was a Wire Fox Terrier dog actor who appeared in dozens of movies during the 1930s. Skippy is best known for the role of the pet dog "Asta" in the 1934 detective comedy The Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, and for his role in the 1938 comedy Bringing Up Baby, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Due to the popularity of The Thin Man role, Skippy is sometimes credited as Asta in public and in other films.
The Bat is a 1959 American crime-mystery thriller starring Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. It is the fourth film adaptation of the story, which began as a 1908 novel The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart, which she later adapted into the 1920 play The Bat. The first film version of the play was the 1926 American silent film The Bat. The film version was adapted by playwright Crane Wilbur, who also directed.
Eugenie Besserer was an American actress who starred in silent films and features of the early sound motion-picture era, beginning in 1910. Her most prominent role is that of the title character's mother in the first talkie film, The Jazz Singer.
The Prisoner of Shark Island is a 1936 American drama film loosely based on the life of Maryland physician Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth and later spent time in prison after his controversial conviction for being one of Booth's accomplices. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, was directed by John Ford and starred Warner Baxter and Gloria Stuart.
The Bat Whispers is a 1930 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Roland West, produced by Joseph M. Schenck, and released by United Artists. The film is based on the 1920 mystery play The Bat, written by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood, and is the second film version by the same director, previously adapted in 1926. An early talkie and one of the first widescreen films, West financed the cinematography, which required two cameramen and several techniques. It was considered a lost film for many years, but was restored from duplicate filmstock in 1988.
The Dark Hour is a 1936 American film directed by Charles Lamont.
Desperate Cargo is a 1941 American crime drama film directed by William Beaudine and starring Ralph Byrd, Carol Hughes, Julie Duncan and Jack Mulhall. It was made by the low-budget independent Producers Releasing Corporation. It is based on the 1937 Argosy magazine serial Loot Below by Eustace Lane Adams.
A Girl of Yesterday is a 1915 American silent comedy film directed by Allan Dwan, and distributed by Paramount Pictures and Famous Players–Lasky. The film starred Mary Pickford as an older woman. Before this film, Pickford was mainly cast in "little girl" roles which were popular with the public. A Girl of Yesterday costarred Pickford's younger brother Jack, Marshall Neilan, Donald Crisp and Frances Marion, who later became a prolific screenwriter. Real life aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin also made a cameo in the film.
The Bat is a three-act play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood that was first produced by Lincoln Wagenhals and Collin Kemper in 1920. The story combines elements of mystery and comedy as Cornelia Van Gorder and guests spend a stormy night at her rented summer home, searching for stolen money they believe is hidden in the house, while they are stalked by a masked criminal known as "the Bat". The Bat's identity is revealed at the end of the final act.
The Falcon Out West is a 1944 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and starring Tom Conway, Joan Barclay and Barbara Hale. The film was part of RKO's The Falcon series of detective films, this time, a murder set in Texas.
The Circular Staircase is a mystery novel by American writer Mary Roberts Rinehart. The story follows dowager Rachel Innes as she thwarts a series of strange crimes at a summer house she has rented with her niece and nephew. The novel was Rinehart's first bestseller and established her as one of the era's most popular writers. The story was serialized in All-Story for five issues starting with the November 1907 issue, then published in book form by Bobbs-Merrill in 1908.
The Hidden Eye is a 1945 American mystery film directed by Richard Whorf and written by George Harmon Coxe and Harry Ruskin. It is the sequel to the 1942 film Eyes in the Night. The film stars Edward Arnold, Frances Rafferty, Ray Collins, Paul Langton, William 'Bill' Phillips and Thomas E. Jackson. The film was released on August 31, 1945, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The Unwelcome Mrs. Hatch is a 1914 American drama film directed by Allan Dwan, written by Allan Dwan and Mrs. Burton Harrison, and starring Henrietta Crosman, Walter Craven, Lorraine Huling, Minna Gale and Harold Lockwood. It was released on September 10, 1914, by Paramount Pictures.
May Blossom is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and written by David Belasco based upon his 1884 play. The film stars Russell Bassett, Donald Crisp, Marshall Neilan, Gertrude Norman, and Gertrude Robinson. The film was released on April 15, 1915, by Paramount Pictures.
Armstrong's Wife is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and written by Margaret Turnbull. The film stars Edna Goodrich, Thomas Meighan, James Cruze, Hal Clements, Ernest Joy and Raymond Hatton. The film was released on November 18, 1915, by Paramount Pictures.
His Mother's Boy is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and written by Ella Stuart Carson. The film stars Charles Ray, Doris May, William Elmer, Josef Swickard, Jerome Storm, and Gertrude Claire. It is based on the short story "Where Life is Marked Down" by Rupert Hughes. The film was released on December 24, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.
An Innocent Adventuress is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Robert G. Vignola and written by Clara Genevieve Kennedy. The film stars Vivian Martin, Lloyd Hughes, Edythe Chapman, Gertrude Norman, Jane Wolfe, and Tom Bates. The film was released on June 8, 1919, by Paramount Pictures.
School for Girls is a 1935 American drama film directed by William Nigh and starring Sidney Fox, Paul Kelly and Lois Wilson.
Among the Missing is a 1934 American drama film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Richard Cromwell, Henrietta Crosman and Billie Seward. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures.
